WHO’S NUMBER ONE IN THE BIG TEN?
MARK 12;28-34
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
32“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
THE QUESTION IS; WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT? BUT WHAT IS REALLY NUMBER ONE IN YOUR LIFE? OR, WHAT SHOULD BE NUMBER ONE IN OUR LIVES? THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION OF WHO OR WHAT IS NUMBER ONE, HAS GONE ON FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME.
WE ALWAYS WANT TO RATE THINGS, AND IN OUR TEXT TODAY, WE SEE THIS SAME THING PUT TO JESUS. THIS PHARISEE COMES UP TO JESUS AND HE ASKS THIS QUESTION.
OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS, WHICH ONE IS MOST IMPORTANT? IN OTHER WORDS, WHICH IS NUMBER ONE? YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT ACCORDING TO TRADITION, THERE WERE OVER 600 LAWS. SO, OF THESE 600 LAWS, WHICH ONE IS MOST IMPORTANT?
JESUS ANSWERS HIM WITH A VERY DIRECT ANSWER. THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT COMMAND IS THIS; GOD IS ONE. JESUS REMINDS THIS PHARISEE, HEAR O ISRAEL, THE LORD GOD IS ONE GOD. REMEMBER THE FIRST LIE OF SATAN IN THE GARDEN TO EVE WAS, IF YOU EAT THIS FRUIT, YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD. IN FACT, HE WAS SAYING TO HER, YOU WILL BE A GOD. SO FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, THERE HAS BEEN THIS ON GOING BATTLE. THERE IS THE ONE TRUE GOD, THE ONLY GOD, JEHOVAH, AND THEN ALL THE FALSE GODS. THE MAN MADE GODS. IF YOU DON’T THINK WE HAVE MAN MADE GODS TODAY, GO TO BARNES AND NOBLE, YOU WILL FIND A MAJOR SECTION CALLED NEW AGE. IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT NEW AGE IS, LET ME TELL YOU, IT’S THE SAME OLD LIE THAT SATAN TOLD EVE IN THE GARDEN, YOU WILL BE A GOD.
SO; THE FIRST COMMANDMENT IS, THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD. SINCE THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, PART B IS; LOVE HIM.
HERE IS HOW THE MESSAGE BIBLE SAYS IT; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.
WHAT IS NUMBER ONE? IT IS TO LOVE GOD. AND HOW DO WE DO THIS? JESUS TELLS US, LOVE GOD, IN THESE 4 WAYS.
FIRST; LOVE HIM PASSIONATELY. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU REALLY GET PASSIONATE ABOUT? WHAT REALLY PUTS FIRE IN YOUR BONES? FOR SOME IT’S THEIR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM. FOR OTHERS IT’S THEIR FAMILY, OR THEIR KIDS. BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU, THAT THERE IS SOMETHING HIGHER TO GET PUMPED ABOUT, AND THAT IS JESUS. WHEN YOU STOP AND REALIZE WHAT HE DID FOR YOU, THAT OUGHT TO GET EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US PUMPED. IT OUGHT TO MAKE US PASSIONATE. SO MUCH SO, THAT WE CANT KEEP IT BOTTLED UP INSIDE. WHEN WHAT’S INSIDE CAN NO LONGER BE CONTAINED, IT STARTS TO RUN OUT OF US, WHEN THAT HAPPENS, PEOPLE WILL WANT WHAT WE HAVE.
FIRST, LOVE GOD PASSIONATELY. SECOND, LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR SOUL. LOVE GOD SPIRITUALLY. LOVE HIM DEEPLY. IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, THE WORD THAT WE TRANSLATE HEART WAS KARDIA. IT MEANT THE VERY CENTER, THE CORE. OUR LOVE FOR GOD, COMES FROM THIS CORE PLACE, THIS CENTER PLACE. LOVE GOD WITH PART OF YOU THAT YOU JUST CANT EXPLAIN SOMETIMES.
THIRD, LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR MIND. INTELLECTUALLY. THINK ON THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD. SPEND TIME ALONE WITH HIM, GETTING TO KNOW HIM. THINK ABOUT THAT FIRST RELATIONSHIP, YOU WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH THAT PERSON, FIND OUT ABOUT THEM, YOU HUNG ON EVERY WORD. THAT IS THE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP THAT GOD DESIRES FROM EACH OF US. HE WANTS US TO WANT HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN LIFE.
A YOUNG MINISTRY STUDENT FELT LIKE SOMETHING WAS MISSING IN HIS LIFE. HE ASKED SOME OF HIS PROFS ABOUT IT. THEY SAID, GO AND VISIT OLD DOC SO AND SO. SO THE YOUNG MAN CALLS AND ASKS TO VISIT THIS OLD DOC. HE BEGINS TO TELL OLD DOC ABOUT HIS LIFE AND WHAT IS MISSING. THE OLD DOC SAYS, COME OUT BACK. IN THE BACK YARD WAS A SWIMMING POOL. THE YOUNG STUDENT IS THINKING, WELL I HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED, BUT MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING SPECIAL. INTO THE POOL THEY GO. THE OLD DOC TAKES THE YOUNG STUDENT AND PUTS HIM UNDER THE WATER. AND HE HOLDS HIM THERE. THE SECONDS GO BY, STILL HE HASN’T BROUGHT HIM BACK TO THE SURFACE. HE IS THINKING THIS OLD GUY IS TRYING TO DROWN ME. HE STRUGGLES WITH ALL HIS MIGHT AND BREAKS THE SURFACE. HE LOOKS AT THE OLD DOC, AND THE OLD DOC SAYS, WHEN YOUR DESIRE FOR GOD IS LIKE YOUR DESIRE TO BREATH, THEN YOU WILL HAVE IT.
FINALLY, LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE GOT REAL SERIOUS ABOUT GOD, AND REALLY DID THIS. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I THINK WOULD HAPPEN. RED OAK WOULD BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. THE CONVERSATION AT EVERY EAT PLACE IN TOWN WOULD BE ON IT.
WHO’S NUMBER ONE? GOD IS. AND THE FIRST THING IS TO LOVE HIM. PASSIONATELY. SOULFULLY. INTELLECTUALLY. AND WITH ALL OF YOUR BEING. THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREATEST COMMAND. LOVE THE ONE WHO CREATED YOU. THE ONE WHO LOVED YOU SO MUCH THAT HE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR YOU.
